Hey Scott, I'd like your opinion on a segment that happened last night on Raw. Before John Cena announced Daniel Bryan as his opponent, Triple H, Stephanie McMahon and Brad Maddox had a segment backstage, where Triple H and Steph made comments regarding Vince's reaction at the possible pick Cena could do.
Do you think those comments hurt Daniel Bryan in any way? Not with the fans of course, cause he's super over regardless, but do you think they should say that of a top guy, contender for the title and main-eventer of the second most important ppv of the year? What do you think is gonna be the follow up of all this? thank you!
Bryan is gonna continue raging against the machine, beat John Cena for the WWE title with a small package in a 30 minute classic, and then Orton's gonna crush everyone's spirits and cash on him before he can even celebrate his title reign to turn heel and finally get his revenge on Bryan. It's actually pretty logical booking given how they did MiTB and the buildup to it. Orton can be Vince's "corporate champion" and Bryan can be HHH's plucky underdog and there's your feud.
Which leaves us with the Poochie question: if the title chase becomes Bryan chasing Orton, where does that leave Cena in the post-SummerSlam booking? Because he's always going to be at-or-near the main program.
ReplyDeleteIf they have the balls to let Bryan overcome Orton's cash-in, and run with him for a PPV or two, it'll put him totally over the top. Keep the feud, keep the HHH/Vince element, let Orton beat Bryan at SurSer or something. He still gets the title, the actual win means more than a cash-in, Bryan looks stronger...Orton's ego needs to accept a chastening loss first though.
ReplyDeleteWhy doesn't Cena go on vacation? I am being serious with this. After summerslam is over, take the rest of the year off. Why not?
ReplyDeleteBrock's a possibility, Del Rio maybe...would be awesome to get Bray Wyatt. That's a position where he can happily lose the feud, but get over with LOTS of promo time.
ReplyDeleteOh, or Sheamus. Crowd reaction has been slipping for a while now.
ReplyDeleteScott's idea would work pretty damn well actually and would be awesome
ReplyDeleteI think Orton cashing in after Bryan wins at SS, then having Bryan win the Rumble and beating Orton to avenge his 18 second loss to Sheamus would be an awesome storyline.
ReplyDeleteAs much as a fan as I am of Triple H wouldn't HBK be better suited to be the guy in the corner of Bryan?
ReplyDeleteOrton cashes in at summerslam. Three way feud with cena, with a three way at survivor series. Orton retains. Orton and cena at rumble, Orton retains. Bryan wins rumble and wins back title at wrestlemania. Easy!
ReplyDeleteHBK isn't a member of the McMahon family or a cog in the business structure. His presence would make no sense.
ReplyDeleteAlso, maybe fit in a match with lesnar inbetween? Assuming rock isn't back next year and cena and undertaker are wrestling, then Brock/punk rematch for mania?
ReplyDeleteAnd then perhaps he can die on the way back to his home planet.
ReplyDeleteHow about Bryan beats Cena, Orton cashes in and Bryan makes him tap again. That way Bryan gets wind over Cena and Orton in the same night.
ReplyDeleteYou had me until you connected something completely unrelated to Orton.
ReplyDeleteShawn trained Bryan and for years played the role of "little man in a big mans sport." Plus he's Hunters best friend which is close enough to the McMahon family.
ReplyDelete...and this gets heat onto the McMahons how, exactly ?
ReplyDeleteDoesn't do anything in the storyline they're doing.
ReplyDeleteAnd Krusty can present us with a sworn affidavit that he'll never, ever return!
ReplyDeleteSo your idea is to bury Orton, a guy that gets one of the best reactions on the roster?
ReplyDeleteFine whatever. Keep Triple H in.
ReplyDeleteHe's a nine time world champion. He'll be fine.
ReplyDeleteLol yeah okay!
ReplyDeleteThey could milk another PPV with Bruan vs Cena, then Orton cash in, turning Orton heel. Have Orton beat Bryan in a rematch thanks to Vince. Then Bryan continues to be screwed by Vince and has him as the number 1 Entrant at the Rumble but Bryant wins it and challenge for the title at WM. Easy
ReplyDeleteA modern day Corporation with Triple H, Orton, Sheamus, and eventually a heel Cena would be pretty wild stuff. Fans have obviously strongly objected against these guys as faces so why not just go with it? Bryan, Mark Henry, Dolph, Cody, Punk, Jericho, and RVD is a fun and interested new group of faces for them to feud with.
ReplyDeleteWow, my neck hurts from agreeing so much with your statement.
ReplyDeleteI especially like how stacked the heel side looks. So when the babyfaces finally DO win, it'll blow the roof off.
Of course, being a HHH faction, they'll probably run roughshod over the good guys until no one cares about the comeuppance anymore.
Dude, Orton lost the world title to the fucking MIZ. If he can recover from that, he can recover from anything!
ReplyDeleteVia copious backstage segments!
ReplyDeleteI'm not worried about this Orton push. He'll get his 3rd strike soon enough.
ReplyDeleteMan, I just watched the final segment of RAW again and it gives me goosebumps seeing how much the fans love Daniel Bryan.
ReplyDeleteThere was an awesome visual with him standing on the turnbuckles and doing the Yes chant with the fans in the background doing it in unison.
In the feud, Bryan would go crazy due to grief at losing his title in another 18 second match (the Orton cash-in match). He would then, for some reason, become obsessed with the idea that Orton is Sheamus.
ReplyDeleteBRYAN: I'm gonna get you for this, Sheamus!
ORTON: I'm NOT Sheamus!
BRYAN:... That's just the sorta thing Sheamus would say! YES! YES! YES! x 100.
This would happen on every Raw between Summerslam and Wrestlemania.
As long as Bryan, Henry, Dolph and Cody form a modern day Union to fight the Corporation.
ReplyDeleteIt would be great if they let Bryan and Orton have an honest feud. Orton, the guy with the shitty tattoos and shit eating smirk and history of attitude issues and wellness violations and military AWOL, second generation star who has been handed everything in his career and all that vs Bryan, the completely straight laced, drug and steroid free, WRESTLER who trained and scraped and busted his ass for pennies for 12 years to be where he is.
ReplyDeleteI laughed when Cole referenced Miz cashing in on Orton on last night's Raw. With all the past storylines and continuity the WWE ignore, you'd think Miz as WWE Champion would be one they'd conveniently strike from memory.
ReplyDeleteNo Daniel Bryan has never done drugs. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FSh2s_lmthI
ReplyDeleteI'm sure at some point in the 90s Michaels was considered family by Vince. Is there a relation-title that falls between Son and Husband?
ReplyDeleteWedding after wedding after wedding...
ReplyDeleteboy toy?
ReplyDeleteCorporate heel champ Randy Orton would be awesome and a little bit ironic considering Orton is the closest thing to a modern arch nemesis that the mcmahons have.
ReplyDeleteI don't mind Bryan winning the title then losing it immediately, because it's the chase that really gets you over with the fans. Look at Bryan trying hard in the past month to prove that he wasn't the weak link, it gets people to root for him and it puts him in a great position of someone with something to prove. Naturally people usually root for champions to lose.
You can't bury Orton, he's had so many strong booking moments in his history that you could have him get squashed by Zack Ryder and he'll still come back the next week and get a bigger reaction than half the roster. He's already reached megastar status his whole purpose now is to enhance others.
ReplyDeleteIt's unlikely but a great idea, especially if they actualy add a nice 10 minutes of a Bryan Orton match....shows that even after going the limit with Cena, he can still beat a fresh Orton. It would get Bryan over crazy huge.
ReplyDeleteBut Shawn explicitly states in his theme that he's NOT your boytoy. Assuming the "your" he was referring to was Vince.
ReplyDeleteGood point. Bryan on a well drawn out chase is money.
ReplyDeleteNobody's really said it but I think Cena just choosing Bryan hurt him more then anything HHH said. Why not have Bryan win a 4 way or battle royal for that spot? Being handed that match by the guy he's facing just kind of undermines him.
ReplyDeleteRandy Orton (c) w/Vince McMahon vs. Daniel Bryan w/Triple H & Stephanie McMahon for the WWE title at Survivor Series. Bryan beats Cena @ Summerslam. Orton cashes in immediately and takes the title using heelish tactics. Vince says that Orton is the champion we should have and Bryan is too small. Triple H sides with Daniel Bryan, winning the hearts of the IWC in the process. Once Triple H is loved again by everyone, we get the Ultimate Triple H Collection 40-disc set featuring every match he's ever competed in. E! Network picks up on Triple H's success and offers a Big Brother style 24/7 feed of Triple H's life. Triple H, as popular worldwide as ever, runs for President of the United States and wins in 2016.
ReplyDeleteThat HHH collection does need to happen. I still want the HHH/Rock Ironman and the HHH/Jericho last man standing matches from 2000.
ReplyDeleteI said it in the live thread and the troolls told me to stop watching.
ReplyDeleteNah. Something different. The way it panned out, it looks like the crowd favourite got the shot. As a good face, cena went with the crowd. If the crowd favourite was someone else, then that segment would have died.
ReplyDeleteGlad someone saw it the same way. I thought it was pretty obvious but I guess not.
ReplyDeleteSure, I get he's the crowd favorite and the underdog but without him earning the match in any way it looks like Cenas just picking another guy.
ReplyDeleteWow. You swerved the hell out of me with the second half of that post.
ReplyDeletescenario i could see happening. not horrible in and of itself but horrible given what we want for dbry:
ReplyDeletedbry will win the title at summerslam, then immediately get attacked by kane who was brainwashed by the wyatts. dbry is left laying and then orton cashes in and wins
this leaves dbry feuding with the wyatt family (against kane 1st of all) and out of the title picture, while randy goes and feuds with like sheamus or something
Just be happy with a potential win at Summerslam for now.
ReplyDeletehe's beaten orton and sheamus cleanly within a month. i think that's grounds for a wwe title shot as good as anything these days.
ReplyDeleteWith WWEs 50/50 booking everyone has wins to point to. Yea, he's been getting pushes but why NOT have him win a match to get the shot? It came off more as Cena pandering to the crowd by him choosing the fan favorite, and trying to get get some fan respect by choosing Bryan.
ReplyDeleteAt the very least(from a storyline perspective) Bryan SHOULD be the MitB holder. If Curtis Axel hadn't came down, Bryan would have won. So it's not like Cena chose Bryan right out of the blue for no reason at all
ReplyDeleteBut how does this benefit John Cena? Because at some point it's going to have to.
ReplyDeletethey always do that though. this time they straight up said to the crowd, goddamnit who do YOU want to see face cena for the title? i kinda like that.
ReplyDeletewith the Tugboat horn in the entrance music?
ReplyDeleteOrton cashing in on Bryan after he beats Cena is almost too obvious, isn't it?
ReplyDeleteJust watch as WWE makes Cena fucking tap Bryan out
I just like the idea of Corporate Champ Randy Orton based on the irony that he's actually the least corporate guy they have. Sure, he doesn't trash hotel rooms anymore or pour baby lotion in divas' gym bags, but he's one crooked piss test away from a pink slip.
ReplyDeleteBut much like anyone else who's ever proposed fantasy booking online in the last fifteen years, I would love for them to bring back the Corporate Champion idea for somebody.
(I think Corporate Champ might be right up there with "Bring back the Nation of Domination!" and "What if #28 and #29 eliminate each other and #30 just walks out and wins?" for most enduring fantasy booking scenarios)
That would be ok for a short term feud before the big pay off return win against Orton
ReplyDeleteI liked that angle. It didn't last very long, but one of my favorite moments from Raw during the Attitude Era was that Raw where Vince ran out and told the Union to fight the Corporate Ministry, and then after the four of them came down, every other member of the roster joined in also.
ReplyDeleteI miss when every Raw — and Nitro for that matter — would end with a brawl and cliffhanger.
I assume if cena is wrestling taker at wrestlemania, then he won't be champion anyway...
ReplyDeleteI like them playing with the perception that the higher ups hate small guys by having Mcmahon piss on Bryan. I like it cause it builds on Bryan's momentum as an underdog and leads to his moment of glory where he proves the boss wrong (with HHH in his corner, I like him to go over in the end).
ReplyDeleteWhat's ridiculous to me is how badly HHH attaches himself to the hottest acts in the company. I know its been beaten to death, but its almost comical how consistent he is in doing this. Punk in 11, Brock last year, Bryan through Mania. And the more its about the McmaHHHons, the more it hurts Bryan.
On the flip side, Bryan's owning it on so many levels right now I doubt that anything can stop him (barring injury and such).
I'm not going to presume to know what their plan is, but I can tell you this...Cena will beat Bryan at Summerslam. He's not losing that thing for a while, at leas until they officially start building for Mania. That's the only time he needs to be out of the title picture so he has a reason to challenge UT.
ReplyDeleteIt's just the irony of Randy Orton of all people being a stooge, representing Vince's outdated ideas of what a champion should be...rather than the ex-vegan, short, hairy, goofy animal lover that is Daniel Bryan...the closest thing to an actual people's champion right now. It's something that could not only propel Bryan right to the top, but put Orton back to a sense of relevancy.
ReplyDeleteAgreed. He categorically states that he is 'just a sexy boy' and most definitely not a boy toy.
ReplyDeleteYou act like losing to the Miz in the tail end of 2010 (where believe it or not, he was molten hot over) is the same thing as losing to the Miz in 2013.
ReplyDeleteBryan is going to be set to win, but due to the redditor revealing that the night of SS, they'll pull an audible and have Cena win.
ReplyDeleteSo you think. Who's to say they don't push it straight through and give UT the shot? Nobody thought Rock/Cena 2 would need the title at one point either.
ReplyDeleteOne of the all time greats was in '99, started with HHH vs Austin, then Undertaker, Big Show, Hardcore Holly, Kane, Road Dogg, Billy Gunn, Faarooq, Bradshaw, and The Rock all involved in a wild brawl to end the show.
ReplyDeleteOrton cashes in at summerslam. Three way feud with cena, with a three
ReplyDeleteway at survivor series. Orton retains. Orton and cena at rumble, Orton
retains. HHH wins rumble and wins back title at wrestlemania. Easy!
Fixed.
Who's Tshirt will the children buy? Please won't somebody think of the children?
ReplyDeleteOh... dear... you insulted Dougie's man crush
ReplyDeleteIm fucking dyin over here
ReplyDeleteNot to mention that he had MitB won until interference that had nothing to do with him happened.
ReplyDeleteI think it would be interesting to have Orton cash in MITB during a match instead of after it. Has that ever been done? Orton could come out after Cena hits his finisher, KO Cena, try to pin Bryan and accidentally lose the match.
ReplyDeleteThat protects Cena because he can claim he didn't lose the title and Bryan can claim he beat the fresh man. Orton and Cena can feud after that so Cena can OVERCOME THE ODDS for revenge.
Have BROCK go over Punk at SS. If Bryan wins the title, get him into a feud with BROCK, as Heyman demands a title shot for his client. It's pretty clear that they don't plan on protecting Lesnar for the long term, so why not use him to put over a fan favorite who is also a good company man?
Punk I agree with. Lesnar? Not so much. Whether people like it or not, HHH is a big draw/star, and Lesnar's obviously been brought in for big superstar vs. superstar matches rather than to elevate younger guys. Bryan? Who cares, at worst it won't affect him. At best it might help him.
ReplyDeleteLive audiences haven't "strongly objected to HHH".
ReplyDeleteI don't know who was clamoring for 3 HHH-Lesnar matches. The 1st got "You tapped out" chants directed at the supposed face; the 2nd was held to the sound of crickets; and I got the impression no one was left caring by the 3rd.
ReplyDeleteI care, because I'm afraid that shoehorning HHH into Bryan's deal will dilute Bryan's popularity and subject us to the same old shit. HHH isn't super diverse with the way his stories play out.
I know HHH is loved by many and is a legitimate star and draw, but I disagree that "at worst it won't affect Bryan". I'd argue that the majority of guys HHH has worked with from 2002-present have been less over after his involvement than before (Batista being the biggest exception).
See RVD, Booker T, Punk, Edge, Orton
Jesus, that does seem likely, doesn't it?
ReplyDeleteThat's Bryan Danielson. It's easy to confuse the two.
ReplyDeleteThey did achieve their goal though in getting a good buyrate for SummerSlam, a great buyrate for WrestleMania (although obviously Rock/Cena II was the main selling point for that) and a decent if underwhelming buyrate for Extreme Rules.
ReplyDeleteAnd the main reason I don't think Bryan will be hurt by the HHH association is that he's going to be on the same side as Trips in this scenario, rather than an opponent. An HHH endorsement could help the guy.
I actually doubt that. I might have bought that if someone had won the MitB and done the "I will cash in at Summerslam" thing, but I don't see Orton holding the briefcase straight through to Wrestlemania (or even the WM build), especially when he badly needs a heel turn and almost certainly will turn as a result of the cash in.
ReplyDeleteBryan winning and Orton cashing in makes sense. Not sure if he'll cash in at Summerslam or shortly after, but that makes sense. Orton cashing in on Cena may not get the heel reaction they're looking for due to the split crowds, especially if the Summerslam crowd is more in Bryan's corner.
They did? I didn't think it made any sense at all without the title. They pushed Rock/Cena 1 as the only time they'd ever fight, and they both came out the next night and pretty much did the "Okay, we're moving on from each other now". The only way a rematch made sense was for the title, especially when Rock made it really clear months before that he was challenging for the title at the Rumble.
ReplyDeleteI could see Undertaker VS Cena being for the title (I don't think it will or should be, since I really would riot if CENA breaks the streak, the guy who least needs it in the entire company...I'm in favor of never ending the streak, but if you feel you have to do it, good lord not Cena...and the alternative is Undertaker wins the title, but he has yet to show he can or wants to wrestle more than 1 or 2 matches a year anymore). But I don't know who thought Rock/Cena 2 made sense without the title.
The Iron Man will be on his new DVD/Blu Ray. The last man standing is still inexplicably removed from existence. Must have mixed up their Canadian Chris's.
ReplyDeleteI thought it was fine based on how the segment played out. It could have been really awful if the crowd had shit on Bryan or even not really cheered him that much, but he got such a monster reaction that I think it worked. Rather than Cena just picking him, I saw it more as the crowd really getting behind a guy who really deserved it.
ReplyDeleteIt sure as hell buried Cena when he failed on his cash in.
ReplyDeleteI think they'd still have Orton win, but if he does cash in on Bryan, I'd love to see a LONG, 10+ minute cash in. We've never gotten one (not counting RVD and Cena)...we occasionally get a few moves and Miz/Orton almost had a sort of match, but I'd love to see Bryan REALLY fight back before eventually succumbing to Orton. They could sell it as "Imagine if he hadn't just wrestled a 20-30 minute match against Cena!" and build to a future match.
ReplyDeleteI actually think that such "slights" against Bryan are a GREAT thing to keep mentioning - calling him short or dorky or whatever provides for a great "us vs. them" framework, with the fans basically telling the Mr. McMahon character that his opinions are old and outdated.
ReplyDeleteHe cashed it in for a match a week in the future. Not immediately after a grueling victory. There's a difference.
ReplyDeleteThere's a first time for everything, and Orton is the type who can handle the loss.
ReplyDeleteJust an opinion, but I didn't see it as Cena pandering to the crowd at all - to me, it was Cena legitimately agreeing that Bryan deserves to be a main-eventer, giving Bryan his seal of approval. It was almost like breaking the fourth wall.
ReplyDeleteSome dude on The Torch was saying that Vince's strategy is essentially this...to position Bryan as the slighted underdog main eventer. Vince then thinks Bryan fans will order Summerslam just to show their support for Bryan belonging in the main event, thus ushing the buyrate. Take this speculatin for what it is.
ReplyDeleteI think Bryan will win at SummerSlam in a match where a Bryan injury is established. Cena will shake his hand after the match -- since they're both good guys and this "feud" is just about mutual respect -- and Bryan will end the PPV having his moment in the sun. The next night on RAW, Bryan will come out for his big promo selling the injury, and that's when Orton cashes in.
ReplyDeleteAs far as Cena/Taker, it still works for WrestleMania if Cena has the title. Taker can win on countout or DQ (Kane Wyatt run-in?) where he keeps the streak alive but doesn't get the championship.
To be fair to Bryan, I'm not sure you can stand next to Paul London and not get at least a little high.
ReplyDeleteWork La Parka in there somehow and you've got a winner.
ReplyDeleteI like it, but I don't feel it's needed. They established heat between Bryan and Orton; the current "favored scenario" works nearly perfectly to play off of that.
ReplyDeleteYep. This. Also, almost as though his hand was forced in doing so, but if Cena gets any shine back from the crowd for it, so be it.
ReplyDelete